ACE FREHLEY Fired His Band And Hired GENE’S Because They Were Cheaper

Yeah, my child of the night. Tough times require tough decisions. Business is business and money talks louder than ever. That’s why Ace “The Spaceman” Frehley, who seems to really live in this world, fired his solo band to hire Gene’s because they were cheaper. Sign of the times.

In an interview with Eddie TrunkLet’s hear what the man has to say:

“That was hard. … I had performed with Gene’s backup band in Australia, and then Gene, for some reason, canceled his trip to Japan. So I went to Japan with his band and we did eight shows.

“And they’re super tight; they all sing lead – four-part harmony. I mean, I’ll never forget playing ‘2000 Man’ the first time with this band, and all of a sudden, I’m hearing all the harmonies that were on the original record done by Paul [Stanley] and Gene. I’m saying, ‘Great.’

“So, after the last show in Tokyo, I said to these guys, ‘Are you available? Would you consider doing the [‘Kiss Kruise’]?’ And they said, ‘Yeah.’

“They’re all fans of mine. And they’re cheaper than my band, and I’m trying to cut costs down. I cut one crew member… It wasn’t just about funds. I would have paid them what I’m paying my band right now because they’re that good. But don’t let them know that.”

“Chris took it really well. He’s been playing with the [Hollywood] Vampires, he told me he was doing solo shows with Joe Perry, and he’s one of the most sought-after bass players in Los Angeles. So Chris took it really well.

“Scotty didn’t take it very well. And Richie didn’t take it well, because his wife had just passed away [after battling ALS for many years]. It was a nightmare, because I kept procrastinating, because I said, ‘How can I call Richie and let him know I’m using another band when his wife is on her deathbed?’ And it was tearing me apart.

“Finally I just said, ‘I’ve gotta man up.’ So I called him and I told him briefly why and…and he hung up on me. [Laughs] He goes, ‘I can’t believe this s**t,’ and he hung up on me. So, two days later, I called him back in the evening, and I said, ‘Rich…’

“He apologized for hanging up on me. I’ve known Richie forever. So we healed. He told me he loved me like a brother; I told him the same. I said, ‘Tell me what I can do for you because I know you were expecting the money from the cruise.’ So I wired some money into his account to help pay for Joann’s funeral. She was a wonderful lady.

“Bad timing is bad timing, but business decisions really don’t… can’t… with personal life, it never jells. It’s never the right time, in a lot of cases.”